Death Is My Gift
by shandromand
Summary: After the fateful night with Glory, Buffy finds herself at peace. That doesn't mean a meddling wizard won't have other ideas... / Shortfic, All respective characters are owned by Rooster Teeth & Mutant Enemy Productions.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N - I was going back through recent Writing Prompt Wednesday threads, and after having vegged out on Buffy for the last week (because, unmotivated), I was reminded of this absolute gem of a prompt:** **A fictional character from another universe acts as Ruby's bodyguard. Well, I'll take distraction writing over no writing. This is part one of an unknown number of short bits that I'll try to finish over the weekend. Thanks for stopping by! :)**

 **1.**

At first, all she knows is pain. The flaring energies tear at her body, bolts of mystical lightning rake her flesh. It is agony like she's never felt before, but she does not fear. The weight of gravity's pull doesn't seem so terrifying. She's fallen before. She can feel the vital force of her spirit draw in the portal that had begun to form only moments before. This is her last gift to the world, to her sister, her friends; they'll be safe when it's over – and it nearly is. Over, that is. She can feel her soul ripping away from her body.

 _'Giving gifts_ sucks _. Wait, is it suck or sucks? I really should have paid more attention in English class.'_ was her last thought. Then, darkness closed in. 

* * *

The first sound she hears… after, is the sound of birds chirping. The sun is warm, and the ground is soft. She reluctantly opens her eyes and sits up, expecting to be sore. She's pleased to find that not to be so. In fact, there isn't so much as a twinge or bruise or anything wrong with her at all. Almost as if the last five years never happened. She yawns and stretches lazily, and the sleeves of her white sweater slip down her arms. As she realizes this, she runs a hand across one sleeve; it's even softer than she remembers. "Well, at least I got to keep my clothes," she murmurs. Her voice sounds strange, almost ethereal.

She takes a look at her surroundings. The sky is a deep cerulean, and fluffy clouds drift across it. Green fields of tall grass, dotted with the occasional tree stretch out in front of her. In the distance there are mountains. To her right, more trees – not quite a forest, but an orchard of some kind. To her right, more fields, but also a well-worn dirt road that vanishes into the distance. She twisted around and followed it back in the other direction. Not far along, a cottage stood. It was simple, if slightly dilapidated.

She sat and stared at it for a time as she debated lying back down. The ground in heaven was pretty comfy, as ground went, anyway. Still, even though she probably could just lay around and enjoy her afterlife, it was sure to get boring if that was all she did. She pushed off the grass and stood. "I wonder if they have cable." She doubted it, but it couldn't hurt to hope, right?

She walked toward the cottage at a leisurely pace, noting that the yard was a little wild. The grass was partly trimmed, and though the garden had been freshly weeded, the work hadn't been completed. The flowers were pretty, though. Gravel crunched underneath her shoes as she approached the door, a row of wooden planks banded by metal. "Very medieval," she said. She reached up and rapped her knuckles on the surface. "Hello? Is anyone home?" After a minute, she knocked again, and the door creaked open slowly. No one had answered it though, and her fist hung in the air as she peered inside.

The interior was a single room, though it was definitely split into different areas. A table and chairs made of simple wood stood to her right, with an old-timey wood stove and counter were set against the wall behind it. Obviously that was kitchen and dining with its few utensils. To the left was a living room of sorts. A fireplace was set in the far corner, and two bookshelves crammed with all manner of tomes dominated the walls on either side of it. Two padded leather, high-backed chairs faced away from the doors, with a small table between them. A tray with cups and a steaming pot sat on top of the table.

She hesitated at the threshold, her manners more a force of habit than anything else. "Hello?" she repeated.

She jerked with a start when a hand lifted into view from behind the left-handed chair and beckoned her inside. "Please, do come in Miss Summers." The man let his hand drift down to the mug nearest to him and took it up. She heard a sip, and looked around, half expecting something nasty to jump out at her. The same sunny tableau was all she saw, and no monsters had tried to sneak up on her. "I so rarely get visitors – in fact, you are the first."

"Are you God?" she blurted.

There was a splutter, followed by a genuine laugh. "Nothing so bold," he said with amusement. She grinned sheepishly and shook her head. "Please, be welcome in my home, such as it is." Ice sufficiently broken, she accepted the nameless man's invitation and stepped inside, making her way over to the chairs.

As she rounded the empty seat, the man came into view. He was middle-aged, with gray hair and brownish-gold eyes. He wore a charcoal gray suit accented with a dark green, which matched the neck-scarf thing that he wore. A pair of spectacles rested on his nose, and there was a hefty book in his lap. He looked up from it after a moment, not bothering to mark his place. "Hello, Miss Summers, it's a pleasure to meet you. Please, sit." He placed down his drink and reached over to pour more from the kettle into the other mug sitting on the table.

She sat and appreciated the comfort of the chair. "Heaven sure is awfully rustic," she said. He glanced at her and smiled, but wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "Oh, so it's not heaven then? It doesn't seem like the other place." She accepted the coffee, assuming her nose was working right, anyway. He warmed up his cup and took another sip, and she relaxed. "So, if you're not the Big Guy Upstairs, and this isn't the land of fluffy cherubs and harps, who are you – and what am I doing.. wherever I am?"

"Hmm," he intoned as he savored the mouthful. He pursed his lips as he considered. "My apologies, Miss Summers—"

"Buffy, please: If we're going to hang in the afterlife, I'd rather not be so formal." She glanced around the room. "It wouldn't fit the setting, ya' know?"

If her interruption perturbed the man at all, he didn't show it. "Of course," he nodded. "As for your first question, My name is Professor Ozpin, lately Headmaster of Beacon Academy." He paused for a moment, expecting her to interject again, but she decided to answer with a simple nod. She'd never heard of this school, but you saw one, you've seen them all. "To answer your second question, this place is neither heaven nor hell, but rather a place in-between."

"So it's like purgatory?" Just her luck, not being Catholic! She wasn't really up on how all of that worked. Crosses were useful, and she did believe in a higher power, but her family had never been the church-going type.

His expression didn't change, but the tone came out a little bitterly. "If you like, though you won't find any need for purification here." He leaned back and sighed wearily.

When he didn't say anything for a moment, Buffy asked another question. "So, like, _no_ visitors ever? Besides me? That must be a drag."

"Yes, well, I'm never here for very long." He sounded so tired when he said it. She wondered why. "You're probably wondering what I mean by that, hmm?"

"Some kind of mind-reader, huh? Yeah, I suppose so." As conversations went, this was one of the less bizarre she'd had in the last few years.

"I'll be going back to my world shortly. As soon as my new host presents himself, off I go," he took another sip. "The question is, what will you do?"

Buffy thought for a time before she answered. "Honestly? I'm not sure. I mean, I was kind of expecting – hoping, really – to see my mom again." The thought of leaving her friends and sister behind didn't trouble her as much as it probably should have, but there was no going back. She wasn't even really sure that she wanted to, if that were possible in the first place. It was so peaceful here, enigmatic professor-guy and homey cottages aside. "What choice do I have?"

Professor Ozpin didn't answer right away. Instead he ran his hand over the pages of the open book and tilted his head in thought. When he finally did answer, he gave her a friendly look. "You remind me of another young woman; so eager to help others, willing to face dangers and monsters with no thought for herself. Well, mostly, perhaps."

She shrugged, not sure how to reply. "Why do I get the feeling that you're selling something, Ozzie?"

He grimaced at the moniker, and the expression reminded her of Giles a little bit. "It was a thought. Miss Rose could certainly use all the help she can get." Buffy opened her mouth to protest, but he held up a hand. "Hear me out, Buffy. If you don't like my suggestion, feel free to say no," and just like that her teeth clicked shut, but she squinted at him in annoyance anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

Qrow watched the four kids as they wandered down the path on their way to Mistral. He felt a little guilty shadowing them, but he wasn't sure what else to do. He was heading in the same direction, but with Oz out of the picture for now, Salem's minions might be bolder. There was a good chance they'd try something, and he'd rather be a surprise than a known factor. He'd let the Ruby and her friends get a head start because he knew he could scout ahead of them easy enough.

He was just about to shift when the crunch of dirt caused him to spin, crouch, and put a hand on his weapon. He relaxed a little when it turned out to be a blonde girl, and a pretty one at that. She paid him no mind as she came to a stop a few feet away. She squinted at the retreating foursome, and spoke without taking her eyes off of them.

"Qrow, right?" He hesitated for a moment, looking her up and down. He didn't recognize her, but the women tended to blur after a while. When he didn't answer her, she finally looked over her shoulder at him. "Qrow Branwen – that's you?"

"Uh… Who wants to know?"

"Buffy Summers wants to know, which would be why I asked." She eyed his hand on the hilt of his weapon. "Relax, tough guy. Ozpin sent me."

His eyes narrowed at that, and he didn't feel inclined to listen to her, or believe her either. "Is that so, _Buffy?_ What in the hell kind of name is that, anyway?" He'd been around the world a lot, and had never heard of anyone with one like _that_ before.

She shrugged and returned to her observation of the valley. "I dunno. What kind of name is Qrow? Seems a little edgy, if you ask me." She crossed her arms and sighed. "Look, I wasn't super keen on coming here in the first place, but Ozpin made his case – so how about we skip to the twenty questions, huh?"

"Fine," he grunted. He stood back up and fished out his flask. He took a pull and started to put it away, and then thought better of it. He held it out to her, and she looked at it with mild disapproval. "Humor me."

The girl rolled her eyes, but she took the flask and tipped it back. "Bleeaaahhh!" She shook her head and made a face as she thrust it back in his direction. "I'll never understand why people choose to drink rotgut like that."

He chuckled and slipped the container into his shirt. "'s good for ya, puts hair on your chest."

"God, I hope not," she muttered.

"Alright then, Buffy Summers, we got a few. Suppose I believe you. It'd be a neat trick, since he's been missing for months, which means he's probably d-"

"Dead?" Qrow closed his eyes. "Yeah. There's a lot of that going around." It was hard to miss the tone. He'd heard it plenty of times before. Still, he wasn't quite ready to just take this stranger at her word. "He found his host, sort of."

Qrow's head whipped around at that. "Sort of?"

Buffy shrugged again. "Somewhere in Anima was all he knew for sure. He was in the process of narrowing it down when I left."

Qrow could only nod in relief, even if this was beyond bizarre to him. Oz coming back, that was one thing, but he'd never actually seen it for himself. "So, how does a pretty girl end up having a conversation with a dead man?"

"You know, open mouth, make words come ou- Oh." She ignored his flinty glare. "Sorry. Obviously being dead had something to do with it." She frowned and scuffed her heel in the dirt. "I gotta say, my afterlife was pretty disappointing."

"Oh?" If he hadn't seen the things he had, he might think she was just plain crazy. He still wasn't convinced, but he could afford to listen a while longer. If he didn't like what she had to say, he could just split.

"Yeah," she scowled as she said it. "I was looking forward to lounging on a cloud, maybe play a harp or be eating some grapes, maybe see my mom again, but ohhh no. Instead I get suckered into more fun and games with a ripoff of L. Frank Baum's classic. I mean, who even am I supposed to be in this little puppet show, Dorothy?" When she caught his confused frown, she grunted. "If you call me Toto, I will _so_ kick your ass."

He splayed his hands out in her direction. She wasn't making any sense, which made him lean farther toward her being nuts. "So why come at all, then?"

She fixed him with a piercing gaze. "Because eternity reading books in an old cottage sounds even more boring. If I wanted to do that, I'd have stayed in college instead of picking a fight with a god."

"Oh for," Qrow grated. This was turning out to be a huge waste of time. "You're just yanking my chain now." When she didn't have anything to say to that, he seized her by one shoulder to make her face him. "I've had enough of-" the sentence was interrupted by a whallop of a punch that knocked him back a good two feet. His aura had been up the second she'd appeared, and he'd still felt it. This Summers girl was _very_ strong. In the space of his stumble, the scythe came out. He gave the girl credit – she was already in a defensive stance, and hadn't blinked an eye at his draw. "Hands. Off." He supposed he had that coming, so he didn't attack. He also planned to at the first sign from her. "Is that how this is gonna play out then? We don't even bother with 'Prove how you know this stuff' and go straight to the fighting? Because, Qrow, I gotta tell you, I'm pretty irked right now. A fight would be just dandy."

"Start talking, blondie." He relaxed just a hair. "If I don't like what you've got to say, we can fight."

She nodded once and dropped her fists. "He told me all of it: The Maidens, Salem, the relics, everything. Cinder showed up to finish the job with Amber and pulled it off. How's that for a start?"

He grimaced. "That only proves that you know more than most. For all I know, you could be working for her."

She huffed in frustration. "Yeah, because waltzing up to a so-called enemy and making nice sounds like a _brilliant_ master plan." He didn't answer her and made his disbelief plain. "Fine. Ozpin said you'd be a suspicious old bird. He also said he knew you were the one that dusted his coffee during your third year, whatever that means." Now _that_ got his attention. The ruckus that had caused was enough for him to take that one to his grave. "And if that doesn't convince you, there's always the prank that Professor Port turned around on you, something about dressing up like a Gr-"

"Whoa, whoa! Hold on now!" Qrow shouted as he looked around in panic. Nobody was supposed to know about that either. His attention was brought back to Buffy, who had an entirely too amused look on her face. Ozpin was probably laughing at his expense right now. He shouldered his scythe and grumbled. "Okay then, Buffy Summers, I guess we don't have to fight after all." He scraped fingernails across his jaw and winced.

"Good," she said, simply.

"So what's the deal, then? Why'd Oz send you, backup?" If so, it would be welcome. With their allies scattered and him keeping an eye on Ruby and her friends, any help would be welcome. Deranged or not, it was better than nothing.

Buffy jerked her head toward the valley. "Ruby. Ozpin said I should look out for her, that she's important." She looked skyward for a moment. "Actually, critical was the word he used. Which is kind of nice, by the way, not being the Chose One for a change."

That confused Qrow. He understood that Ruby was important, with her silver eyes and all, but this was news to him. More importantly, he wasn't sure how he felt about this. "How do you expect to do that? I don't see a single weapon on you."

Buffy glowered at him. "You're not looking hard enough. I _am_ the weapon." She said it matter-of-factly, as if she were describing the sun rising in the east. Points for confidence, anyway.

Qrow snorted and finally collapsed Harbinger and stowed it. "Just like her dad, huh?" She looked at him askance. "Ruby's dad, Tai. He's the same way – no weapons necessary, the punk."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess so. Don't get me wrong, I can use them – prefer to, actually – but I can make do with whatever. Or not. Apparently the afterlife doesn't provide a stipend for the recently reincarnated, so it's whatever." She shrugged. "So are we good?"

He stared down the empty path, debating. His plan was to fly ahead to Vale and keep an eye on the kids once they left the city. If she was going to tag along with them, he was going to have to change his plans a little. "I guess so, Summers. Come on then, let's talk details while we walk to town. You got a Scroll?"

"Sorry. Just like no money from the afterlife, rolls of paper didn't come with the whole resurrection package." Qrow sighed at the obvious sarcasm. This was going to be a _long_ walk.


	3. Chapter 3

Buffy snugged her jacket tighter in an effort to ward off the night's chilly air. The fire was warm, but she didn't want to have it mess with her night vision, so she kept her distance. She'd come back to the camp that Ruby and her friends had set up after a brief patrol to find three of them sleeping. Jaune was a short distance from the camp, just far enough that his solitary training wouldn't disturb the others.

She had seen him other nights doing the same, but had let him be. She got the sense that he was trying to deal, and that he'd rather do it alone. She had no idea who the girl in the video was, but between the vibe she got from the boy and the way nobody talked about it, she had a pretty good idea what was going on. Their school had been attacked, and people had died. It didn't take a genius to realize what was happening there.

Buffy could hear the video faintly, though, and had to wonder how healthy it was. The practice was good for him – he was passable as young fighters went, but he seemed to be torturing himself every night. In the end, though, Buffy decided that as long as he didn't drag the rest of the group down, that was all that really mattered.

The night passed that way for a while, and she pondered for the fifty-hundred-thousandth time if this idea of Qrow's was the best way to go about things. Team Ranger – or Junior, depending on the day and Nora's level of insistence – had accepted her story readily enough. She was on her way to Mistral, and had promised Ruby's uncle that she'd tag along; strength in numbers, and all that.

Qrow had fixed her up with traveling supplies, a kind of cell phone that they all referred to as scrolls, and he had even furnished her with a serviceable sword. She'd given it some use, first showing Qrow what she could do, and then a scant few times on patrol later. Most of the Grimm she had encountered so far were barely worth the trouble, but then again Qrow was doing most of the heavy lifting there.

It had been about an hour, according to her scroll, so Buffy decided to stretch her legs for a bit. She could wake Ren up in a while and get some sleep herself. The forest was calm, and she doubted there would be any creatures lurking about, so she made her way to where Jaune was.

She found him just starting his first strokes, taking his direction from the nameless young woman on the scroll. His form was good, and each swing projected a visible force that distorted the air in front of him. She made sure to stay mostly out of sight. He was on his third round when Buffy heard light footsteps behind her. Ruby walked up quietly, and Buffy gave her a nod, but pressed a finger to her lips, which the younger girl acknowledged.

They watched another full cycle of Jaune's workout, and Buffy couldn't help but feel a little sad for him as they listened to the girl's heartfelt appreciation for him. He'd set the video to a loop, and it started over. Buffy could see that Ruby was bummed, but uncertain as well. She reached out and laid a hand on Ruby's arm to get her attention, and then gestured away from the boy and his training. Ruby's shoulders slumped, but she nodded. They walked back to the camp, and then angled to one side of it.

Neither girl said anything for a little while. Buffy wanted to offer some sort of comfort, or encouragement, but didn't really know how to broach the subject. Ruby did it for her. "That was Pyrrha on Jaune's scroll. She was one of our classmates at Beacon." She sighed. "I really miss her, too."

Buffy smiled sadly; so it was like she'd thought, then. "I take it Pyrrha didn't make it out?"

Ruby's hands clenched into fists, and she came to a stop. "It was Cinder. I got there just in time to see her…" Ruby bowed her head and took a few calming breaths. "That's why we're going to Mistral. That's where she and her friends came from, supposedly." She looked up at the sky. "We're going to make sure she pays for what she did."

Buffy could understand that. Sometimes all a person had was payback. "That's not a lot to go on," she pointed out. When Ruby turned to protest, Buffy held up her hands. "I'm not saying you shouldn't have, Ruby, but do you have a plan?"

"Get to Mistral, talk to Professor Lionheart. Beyond that, we'll just have to wing it." Ruby crossed her arms. "Nobody else was going to do anything about her." She looked like she was going to go on for a minute, but she relaxed and sighed. "Look, Buffy, I know you're just here as a favor to Uncle Qrow. And you've probably got better things to do, but would you be willing to help us? Once we get to the city?"

Buffy reached out and squeezed the girl's shoulder and debated whether or not to say anything. Qrow had warned her that it was probably a bad idea, but she didn't see any good coming from letting them operate completely in the dark. "Of course I will – all you had to do was ask." Finally, she decided to hedge her bets a little bit. "Look, I need to level with you."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked pensively. "Is there something you haven't told us?"

Buffy let her hand drop and jerked her thumb at a nearby tree. "Come on, let's sit down for a minute."

Ruby gave her a perplexed look, but said, "Okay, I guess we can do that."

Once they had settled up against the trunk, Buffy tried to organize her thoughts. "So, you understand I can't tell you everything, right?" She'd learned the hard way that some things were just better off kept quiet. It was one thing for Qrow to have the inside scoop – he was the gatekeeper.

"Why not? I mean, how bad can it be?" Ruby sounded dubious, and that Buffy didn't blame her. There were enough secrets that came with being The Slayer. Hell, even the mundane secrets tended to pile up and cause trouble.

Buffy shrugged one shoulder. "Well, for one thing, knowing the deets wouldn't change anything. For another, I'm not super clear on some of them myself."

Ruby fidgeted with a few blades of grass by her knee. "Alright, I guess that's fair. What _can_ you tell me? Is this something we can tell the others? I appreciate being let in on whatever it is you're going to tell me, but I don't like the idea of keeping it between us."

Buffy waved a hand. "We can talk to the others in the morning." They were good kids, and she felt like they deserved to know what they were up against. "So Cinder, she's not the Big Bad. Have you ever heard of someone called Salem?"


	4. Chapter 4

The abandoned village was unsettling to Buffy. They had come across a couple of these now, and they had been much the same. Hollow shells and empty spaces stood – or didn't. She doubted it would ever get any better. "Hey, I think I found something!" Nora shouted. Buffy and Ruby joined the others as the redhead bent to push creeper vines away from a faded sign. "Oniyuri? Uh, never heard of it." Neither had she, and Jaune echoed her thought.

Ren, on the other hand, had. She half-listened to his explanation while she scanned the surroundings. It wasn't really a shock that people had tried to make a go of things and failed. Money was great and all, but it didn't buy common sense, or skill. Buffy had seen enough of this world to know that there was more to life than what was in someone's wallet.

"Come on, let's just get through here. This place gives me the creeps," Jaune said quietly.

Buffy adjusted the pack on her shoulders. "I'll see your creeps and raise you some willies." Something startled a flock of birds half a mile or so behind them, and she paused to listen. When she didn't hear any growls or roars, she shook her head. "No use looking for trouble when there's plenty to go around," she muttered as she started moving again.

"What was that?" Ruby asked. "Are you picking up something with those super keen senses of yours?"

Buffy relaxed and shook her head. "It's nothing, probably just my imagination." They were starting to catch up with Ren, Jaune, and Nora. "I guess I'm just too used to city life."

Ruby nodded. "I know what you mean. I hadn't realized this would take so long."

"A few weeks in the wilderness and you're missing a nice cozy bed and some quality tel- er, CCT time, huh?"

"Ha! Sounds like I'm not the only one!" Ruby teased, which made Buffy toss her a wry grin. "Don't get me wrong – Dad used to take Yang and me camping all the time when we were little, so it's fine." She stared past the others, remembering good times for a moment. "Let's just say I'll be glad when we get back to civilization."

"I'm looking forward to getting caught up on my comic books," Jaune called back to them.

"And how about a hot shower?" Nora added, which elicited moans of longing. "It's a good thing Ren's such a great cook. I'd have probably gone crazy by now without decent food on this joy-ride."

"Crazy- _er,_ you mean," Ruby shot back. Buffy watched the kids banter back and forth with amusement. It was almost like being back with her friends, and she wondered how they were all doing. If they were smart, they'd have all booked it out of Sunnydale. She was okay helping Ruby with this mission of hers, but it was hard not to feel homesick.

Buffy's thoughts of home were interrupted by a sharp and sudden urge to look over her shoulder, and at the same time, Ren held up his hand. Everyone else stopped moving and started to look around. His head was bent down, and he started reaching for his weapons at the same time as Buffy. The others were quick to follow suit, and they circled up. Buffy heard feral giggling and the sound of someone running just before a lanky, brown-haired man came into view and leaped over the group. He landed in a crouch between them and the direction they had been traveling.

He let out a fierce cry of joy and threw his arms out to his sides, deploying some nasty looking curved arm-blades. He wasted no time as he sprinted toward the group, and Ren rushed forward to meet him. The exchange was brief – the man was _very_ fast, and he was laughing maniacally as they traded blows. He sent Ren flying with a kick, and then drove straight toward Ruby.

Buffy and her charge were both immediately put on the defensive, and at first, he paid Buffy no mind at all as he struck at Ruby with blades and kicks. It was clear that Ruby wasn't prepared for his sheer speed, and she only just managed to block most of his attacks before Buffy could get close enough to swing her sword at him. He scored another hit on Crescent Rose, and she saw the crackling red flicker of Ruby's aura just as her own stroke neared the end of its arc. He spun and blocked with both arms at the last possible second, but she'd thrown every ounce of muscle into that swing. It knocked him back a dozen feet; he seemed surprised and had to shake his head in order to clear it.

His eyes narrowed, and it was definitely a look that she was familiar with. He'd underestimated her and wasn't about to make that mistake again. He growled angrily and rushed back at her, flailing with an almost manic intensity. Buffy matched him blow for blow, forcing him to give ground by going after his legs with kicks of her own. His strength was brutal, almost as tough as some of the heftier demons she'd fought back in Sunnydale. The hits he managed to land _hurt,_ but she used every trick she'd learned from Giles to score a few of her own. Each time that she managed to, she saw his aura flicker and noted with satisfaction that he would gasp and grunt in pain.

If that had been all there was to the fight, Buffy was sure that she could have worn him down over time. Unfortunately, Jaune had worked his way around to one side and was getting ready to lunge when the man giggled and danced away from Buffy. "Jaune, look out!" she shouted in a panic: He might be an okay fighter, but it was obvious that he was seriously overmatched here. The crazy man jumped and twisted toward Jaune, who raised his shield much quicker than Buffy would have thought. The guy landed on the shield and clung to it like some sort of psychotic monkey, and Buffy heard a distinct 'oooh!' as the man leaned in for a closer look.

Nora barreled toward the pair and started to swing, but the man was too quick, and flipped over her head. He landed on the hammer's head and sprung away, flinging himself into the third story of a nearby building. He impacted it with enough force to break the outer shell and kick up a cloud of dust and debris.

They gathered up as the dust settled, and the man had wedged himself between two beams, holding himself up with splayed legs. "We're not looking for a fight!" Jaune shouted.

"Who are you?" Ren had set aside his usual Zen calm, but looked no worse for the wear. Buffy took a quick look around at Ruby and was relieved to see that she was back on her feet.

The man flipped down with a chuckle and landed in a dancer's pose. Buffy wasn't impressed, but she was on her guard as he stood up. "Who I am matters not to you," he said dismissively as he pointed first to Ren, then Nora, "or you, or…" He paused as his gaze rested on Jaune and Buffy. "Actually, you two _do_ interest me." Jaune made a 'gah' noise, while Buffy merely snorted. "The girl is the only one of you worthy of a fight."

"That's cool with me, psycho-boy: Let's party," she said as she started to step forward.

"Ooh, she's a _firebrand,_ isn't she?" the as-yet-unnamed man quipped gleefully. She stopped short when he casually flipped his hand in a dismissive gesture. "No, I only matter to you." The way he pointed to Ruby was almost whimsical.

"Me?" she asked, confused.

He looked shocked at her reply, and then let out another unhinged cackle before continuing breathlessly. "You haven't the slightest clue, do you? Oh, how _exciting_ this must be!" This guy was as bonkers as Druscilla – he actually sounded like he _believed_ what he was saying.

"Yeah, that sounds about as exciting as a hole in the head," Buffy said in her best mocking tone. He frowned at her in annoyance. "Oh, what? You thought you were just going to waltz in here and do whatever you please? I'm so not sorry to disappoint you." She shifted her grip on the sword as his frown darkened.

"Hold on, Buffy," Ruby said with a firm tone. "What do you want?"

He drew his hands into his chest in feigned shock. "Oh, so the rose *does* have thorns!" He raised a hand and said, "My little flower, I'm here to whisk you away with me." He said it like it was some big deal.

"Ewww. You're like, forty!" Buffy said in disgust. "Cradle robber, much?"

He scowled and flung an angry finger in her direction. "Shut up, _bitch_! Nobody's talking to you!"

Buffy gave him a look of annoyed disbelief. "Seriously, that's the best you can do, Bitch?" He growled and started to say something. "Look who's talking, Mister mommy-issues. You'll take her over my dead body, creep!"

He gave her a hooded, sinister grin and said, "Good."


	5. Chapter 5

The man flashed past Buffy as soon as he stopped talking; he moved so fast that it was almost a blur. She'd been ready for him to move, but instead of coming at her, he slipped around behind Jaune instead and reared back to swing. Both she and Ren called out his name at the same time, but Ren reacted by bringing both guns up and letting out a burst of fire. The bullets reflected off the shield and spoiled the man's attack, giving Jaune time to face him properly.

Psycho-boy stuck and leapt up to avoid her swing, and then pushed away with enough force to knock the boy over. Ruby took a swing with Crescent Rose, and he spun to kick it away. It left Buffy an opening, and she landed a strike against his shin that set his aura off. He growled and turned his attention to her, just in time for her to throw a heel kick at the one leg he was standing on.

He stumbled down to one knee and she picked up the pace with sword swings. For a moment, it looked as though he was having trouble keeping up, so she threw a knee at his left side. It landed, but provided him with an opening of his own, and he swiped at her calf. She gasped as she felt a thin line of pain bloom there, but she managed to grasp his wrist on the follow through. She twisted her body and heaved him into his momentum, which sent him rolling toward Jaune.

The boy took his shot and swung his own blade, but the man was wily. He bent over backwards beneath the swing and spun around to land a heavy kick that sent Jaune flying with a howl. The man recovered and looked around, and then ran toward Nora. Buffy could see what he was trying to pick apart the team. Ruby rushed up beside her, took aim and fired, but the shot went wide and struck Nora instead.

Buffy's jaw opened in shock at the cloud of smoke and lightning, and the man stopped in his tracks and chuckled in surprise. "Hey, friendly fire!" Buffy moaned as she looked at Ruby in horror.

Ruby looked back at her and winked. The man turned around and capered with wild laughter. "Well that's ironic!" Buffy tried to peer through the smoke to see if Nora was alright when she noticed a slight tremor in the ground. The man noticed it as well, and looked around him in confusion. Then, suddenly, Nora appeared to his right and did a full spin, bringing her hammer down on the man so hard that the ground shook. Another cloud of dust and lightning erupted around them, and Jaune cheered.

The victory was short-lived however; when the smoke cleared, he was crouched down, and the hammer was being held back by a tail of some kind. "Surprise!" he cooed.

"Guys, he has a tail?" Buffy wasn't sure whether to be irritated or shocked, and settled somewhere in between. The man pulled a tornado kick that threw Nora across the courtyard, and then he flipped back and jumped on top of a building.

"What is this about?!" Ruby shouted. "The White Fang? Roman Torchwick?"

"Plastic soldiers and pawns!" he replied with scorn as he waved his arm dismissively. "My heart and body belong only to our Goddess." Buffy watched as bent and weaved, and his tail whipped back and forth. She could see now that it was barbed like a scorpion's. That was just great; not only was he a psycho-boy, he was an _fanatic_ nutcase, too. Fantastic.

"Salem," Ruby growled.

"Oh, so you _have_ heard of her!" He was thrilled at the revelation, but his look grew confused. "Why are we fighting then, Sweet Rose? I should think you would be honored to meet Her."

The others looked at one another in disbelief. Buffy, however, wasn't impressed. "Yeah, if she's anything like the last god I met, I seriously doubt she's going to be worth our time."

He glared at her with murder in his eyes. "I'll make you _eat_ those words!" He dove off the roof and went straight for her, and she was ready. What she wasn't prepared for was the ferocity of his attack. He swung both sets of blades in a series of sweeping attacks that she barely managed to deflect. While she was focused on that, the tail whipped around and she dodged once, then twice, and her luck ran out.

The pain was _unbelievable_ as the stinger scraped against her forehead, causing her vision to be blurred by tears. It also threw her into a cold rage. "That's it!" She dropped her sword and ducked inside his guard, which caught him by surprise. She hammered her right fist into his jaw and brought her knee up into his ribcage, and then followed it with an uppercut that lifted him up off the ground. Every strike she landed caused his aura to flicker, and she kept the pressure on with every dirty trick she'd learned from her many nights of fighting vampires.

He began giggling like a madman and danced away; he was no match for her in close-quarters, and he knew it. Buffy dove forward and grabbed her sword on the way, but when she came up, he was gone. She whipped around and lost her balance, dropping to the ground as she did so. Her head was spinning and it was hard to see what was going on all of a sudden. She could hear the others as they desperately tried to fight him off, though.

Buffy scrubbed at her eyes with her wrist and shook her head, which seemed to help her see a little better. Nora landed at a heap nearby, and the others had been knocked down, all except for Ruby. Buffy tried to stand and cried out in pain. Nora rolled over and crawled toward her, but stopped when Ruby was thrown far across the plaza. Buffy watched in helpless agony as the man sped across the flagstones to meet her at the end of her fall, and he lashed out with a savage kick that sent Ruby flying back in the other direction. Buffy noted with dismay that her aura flared for a moment and then fizzled out.

The man walked casually, closing the distance between them, cackling as if it were the most hilarious thing in the world. Buffy tried again to stand, but was having trouble with her balance. It was coming back, but too slowly. Nora had managed to meet up with her, and they struggled to help each other to their feet.

The man reached Ruby and gave her a wicked laugh as he curled his tail up. "Ruby!" she shouted, throwing out a hand in vain. The man struck, and the wall beside them burst open in an explosion of debris. Qrow slid into the path of the vicious tail facing away, and Buffy heard the ring of steel as the stinger impacted his back.

Buffy heaved a sigh of relief, and sagged against Nora. "You okay, Buffy? How come you didn't use your aura?" They were both leaning against the hammer, which Nora had braced against the ground.

She hung her head and shook it. "It's a long story, Nora." The redhead started to say more, but Buffy clasped her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Not now, okay? I promise, I'll explain after Qrow kicks this guy's ass."

Nora frowned for a moment, and then looked to the pair of men across from them. "Hey, Qrow, hurry up and kick his butt already!" The men paused in their conversation to glare at both of them.

Qrow swung his blade and said, "That sounds like a good ide-" The other man didn't give him a chance to finish, leaping to attack.

"Your little trollop won't last much longer!" he shouted. Buffy growled and shook her head again. The dizziness was fading, but she could do little more than watch as the pair battled back and forth. Where the madman was brutal and direct, Qrow was more like a dancer than anything Buffy had ever seen. Jaune and Ren moved in to assist at one point, but were easily tossed aside. Nora seemed torn between wanting to join in and staying with her, but so far she hadn't left Buffy's side.

Ruby tried to help her Uncle as well, but he angrily yelled for her to stay back. She took this as an excuse to move to range, and she blasted her way up to the roof of a building. She tried to get a clear shot as they darted back and forth, and wasn't able. Buffy let go of Nora's hammer and pushed the heel of her hand against her forehead. The sting of the scrape burned, but it gave her something to focus on as she tried to shake off whatever poison was in her system. It was a little harder to follow the fight with her arm in the way, but it seemed to be helping.

Ruby had managed to land a few shots on the man after he had disarmed her uncle, and Buffy was pleased to see that Qrow was no stranger to barehanded fighting. His opponent seemed thrown by it as well, though Buffy wondered what was so surprising about it.

Their fight took them up on top of a partially collapsed building, and then into it. Qrow had tricked his opponent with clever placement, but had fallen - or been dragged in. The structure shook as they carried on, and Ruby came flying down to the ground. As she ran toward the house, Buffy started moving. She was going to get herself killed at this rate, and they were going to have a serious talk about knowing when she was out of her league.

Nora followed Buffy, and their pace quickened when the side of the building exploded in a shower of plaster and wood fragments. Harbinger came spinning out of the cloud, and Qrow right along behind. It stuck in the ground upright, and he landed on it, sliding back another dozen feet. As he perched on the handle like his namesake, Buffy was dismayed to see his aura flashing in and out. He was near his limit.

The other man flew out, and as Qrow dropped to block, Ruby flashed in and beat him to it. She slid to a halt, and the man held out hands with an incredulous look on his face. "Do you _wish_ to be taken?"

"No, but I won't stand by and watch someone get hurt!" she said angrily. She crossed in front of Qrow and came at the man's right side, and her uncle sprung forward. The man locked his blades with theirs, and gave Ruby a contemptuous kick that knocked her back .

"Ruby! What'd I say?!" Buffy and Nora moved in on the man and motioned for the girl to swing low while she raised her weapon to go high.

"This is my fight too!" Ruby came in just as Nora aimed a blow at the man's leg. He lifted it clear and swiped his foot at the handle, which hit Qrow in the midsection and sent him tumbling. The man blocked Buffy's attack, but missed the block from Ruby's scythe. He screeched and wrapped his tail around Buffy's arm, throwing her aside. She caught a brief look at Ruby as she sailed past, and then she was rolling across the ground.

Buffy stood and got her bearings just in time to see Qrow dash in and split a beam that had been about to fall onto Ruby's head. The other man was poised, and his grin was feral. Buffy ran toward them, and he lashed out with his tail, which caught Qrow across his midsection. He gasped and staggered, and then fell to one knee.

The man tittered, and his tail sung into Buffy's path. She let her sword clatter to the ground. She whipped out both hands and grasped the thing firmly. The man gasped, and then screamed as Buffy strained and pulled her hands apart. The sections of tail came apart in an acrid splurt of blood. The part still attached to the man whipped around wildly as he wailed in agony and tried to pull away.

Buffy yanked hard and sent the man sprawling onto his back. She pounced onto him and raised up the stinger. "It's time for the Sunnydale Special, pal. I mean, you're no vampire, but it'll do." She almost relished the look of fear on his face – the first that he'd shown since they met. She slammed the tip into his chest and held him pinned in place as he tried to scrabble away. He finally sagged and rattled out one final breath.

She stood up and scrubbed her hands on her thighs: The blood was burning her fingers, and even though it didn't hurt all that much, she really didn't want to find out what would happen if she left it there. When she looked up, the others had gathered around her. The looks they gave her were mixtures of shock and horror. All except for Nora, who looked immensely satisfied.

"Well," Qrow gasped. "I guess they don't call you The Slayer for nothing after all."

Ruby was staring at the remains of the man on the ground. She looked at Buffy in sadness. "Did you _have_ to kill him?"

Buffy gave her a hard look. "This is the way the world works sometimes, Ruby. I know it's horrible, and I'm sorry, but if Qrow hadn't come along when he did, it could be one or all of us lying over there." Ruby looked down at her feet, but she nodded.

Nora cheerfully asked, "What's a vampire?"


	6. Chapter 6

The fire crackled and popped. Between that and the nighttime sounds of the surrounding woods, it was otherwise silent. Qrow had explained about the maidens, the relics, and Salem in more and better detail than Buffy had. He wasn't really upset with her for spilling: They were bound to find out sooner or later, the fight with Tyrian was reason enough to lay most of the cards out.

The two things he _hadn't_ brought up were Ozpin, or her. She appreciated being left out of the long-winded explanation. Qrow was a rare man – he didn't know much about her, so he didn't presume. She hadn't told him much, and he really didn't seem to care. She did have to wonder if the curiosity was eating at him, but maybe knowing she was back from the dead was story enough for him. That didn't stop the others from wondering, though. She was getting the sense that it wouldn't last, and it didn't.

"So, what about Buffy?" Ruby asked.

"What about her, kiddo?" He leaned forward and laid a hand on the bandage wrapped around his ribs, while settling his other elbow on his knee.

"I mean, is she like, a friend of yours or something?" The man looked at Buffy, and she shrugged. She wouldn't consider them friends, but she trusted him – as much as she could trust anybody on this rock.

He pulled out his flask and eyed it. "No, I wouldn't say that, exactly." He uncapped the flask and took a drink. "She's more of a comrade in arms, if you like."

"But what about all those weird things she-" Nora started, and then realized that Buffy was sitting right there. She turned to address her directly. "I still don't understand, how is it that you can fight like a Huntress and not have aura? What are vampires, and where is this Sunnydale place you mentioned?" She paused to catch her breath, but she only had one other question: "What's a Slayer?"

" _The_ Slayer," Ren corrected her. They looked at him, and he leaned forward. "Qrow called her The Slayer, as if it's a title." Their faces turned toward her in hopeful expectation.

Buffy looked across the flames to the older man. He rolled his wrist and fanned out his fingers. "Your call, Buff; it's your story." She sighed, but nodded. "You four just keep in mind, no matter how bizarre it might sound, I trust her because Ozpin trusted her." He gave her a significant look, and she wrinkled her nose in annoyance. So he would rather she not mention that little detail.

She looked at them in turn. It would be so easy to beg off, but after all the revelations that Qrow had just laid out, it wouldn't be fair to them. She considered Nora's questions for a minute. "Slayer, comma, The. I'm not surprised you haven't heard of it. 'Unto each generation, a Slayer is born.'" It still sounded ridiculous, even after all these years, but she went on. "'One girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons , and the forces of darkness." The kids' eyes were wide as she said it. "I think that's how it goes. I haven't heard it in a while."

Jaune spoke up in confusion, "Is this like the maidens, some big secret?"

She shook her head, but waggled her hand. "Yes and no. It's like the maidens a little, when a Slayer dies, another is chosen." She wondered if this was a bad idea, but better to get it out in the open. If they decided she was crazy, that was their problem – not hers. "But there's no merging of souls, and it's completely random."

"Is that all?" Ruby asked. "Another secret of the world most people don't know about?"

Buffy shook her head again. "It's not really a secret here, not on Remnant." She looked up at the stars and wondered if she could see hers out there. "It's not a secret because I'm not from here."

"Huh?" Nora said it like it didn't compute. The others looked equally uncertain. Qrow, on the other hand, chuckled quietly.

"I'm from another world. Earth, we call it." They looked first at her, then each other, and then they all started babbling. They cut off abruptly when Qrow raised his hand. "I know it sounds like a story from off the deep end, but it's true."

"How did you get here?" Ruby asked, and then she gasped. "Do you have a spaceship? Are you an alien?"

Buffy snorted, and then thought about it for a second, and then she laughed. For the first time since she'd arrived on this strange world, a spark of humor finally burned loose. The others were infected by it, and soon they were all laughing along with her.

When it finally died down, she wiped her eyes. "Oh, Ruby, I know I shouldn't make fun, but that was too good. I suppose I am, technically."

"But how did you get here?" Nora clearly didn't want to let that question go. It sobered Buffy's joy, and just for a second she was tempted to just say magic and be done with it. They had all readily accepted the tale of the maidens and the relics being real. It wouldn't be fair to them, though.

She stared into the glowing embers, trying to decide how to explain. "My last fight, it was supposed to be the end of the world. Apocalypse number," she paused and did a quick count, "six. Glory, the Big Bad, was going to use my sister's blood to open a portal and use it to tear down the walls between dimensions." Many mouths were open, some in shock, others in disbelief. Even the look on Qrow's face was serious.

"She got it started. We fought, but it happened anyway." She shuddered involuntarily at the memory of pain. "I couldn't let anything else happen to Dawn-"

"But your sister? She's okay? And you stopped the apoc- apo- the end of the world?" There was something in Jaune's voice – not surprising coming from the guy with seven sisters.

"Yeah," she said slowly. She was pretty sure, anyway.

"How?" She looked him in the eye. He'd asked the question, and Buffy dearly wanted to tell him to shove it. But this was a night for truth, and she wouldn't spare him – any of them.

"It was me or Dawn. I jumped into the portal. I jumped, and I died."

The silence was deafening. Ruby was the first to speak. "Whaaaat? No way!" She threw a pebble at her Uncle. "You put her up to this, didn't you! You told her to give us an even crazier story to lighten the mood, right?" When he didn't look at her, she grew worried. "Right?"

"'fraid not," he said. "Kinda wishing I had right about now." The look he was giving her was a dirty one. He was making it plain that he most definitely did not like where this conversation was headed.

"But how?" Ruby was getting worked up, and she looked from Qrow to Buffy. "Please?" There was a hint of desperation in that single word.

"I think maybe it's about time for you kids to get some sleep." Qrow said it evenly. "It's late, and that's a long story."

Nora was having none of it. "Seriously? After all the stories, you expect us to be able to sleep _now?_ "

Qrow stood up and opened his mouth to argue, but Buffy interrupted. "Guys, he's right. I'm beat, and we still have a long way to go." Nora growled in frustration. Buffy craned her neck around at the girl and slowly said, "I promise you can all ask me many questions as you want to in the morning." She honestly was tired, and her head was pounding. "Please?"

To her relief, Ren and Jaune talked the girls into digging out bedrolls, meanwhile Qrow wandered out into the darkness. Apparently he was satisfied that she'd backed him up, but the look he gave her said there would be hell to pay later. Buffy didn't give a damn.

She was spreading out her sleeping bag on the ground when Nora sidled up next to her and began poking her arm. Buffy gave her a glinting look, knowing full well what the girl was up to. "Yes?"

"Sorry, just, you know, checking," the girl said matter-of-factly.

"Nora…" Ren chastised from a few feet away.

"I'm not a ghost!" Buffy shouted.

"Says the dead lady."


	7. Chapter 7

"Just get him to safety!" Ren shouted. Whatever he was doing made Buffy's skin feel strange, but it had confused the horse-monster thing. It had stopped its charge, for which Buffy was thankful. She had fought some big demons in her day, but she could count on one hand the number of times they had been the four-legged variety. She sheathed her sword and got her arm under Qrow. He gasped and tried to stand, but he was too weak to manage, so she hoisted him up into her arms and got moving.

Whatever the poison was in Tyrian's tail, it had done a number on the older man, and it hadn't exactly been a picnic for her either. Buffy still had her strength, but the fever boiling in her veins was making it difficult to breathe, let alone think straight. She collapsed to her knees after she carried Qrow several houses away. He sagged against her, and his breath was labored. She leaned him up against the wall and checked his pulse. It was slow and steady, but his skin was flushed with heat.

She could hear the rapid chatter of Ren's pistols, punctuated with blasts from Ruby and Nora's weapons. A moment of indecision held Buffy in place; the others needed help, but she wasn't sure how useful she'd be in her sickened state. She pressed the sleeve of her jacket against her forehead to mop off the sweat that oozed out and winced as it inflamed her wound. It didn't hurt as much as it had the morning after their showdown with Salem's minion. Slayer constitution was working to flush the toxin from her system, but it was taking too long.

Fresh cries got her attention, and she started to rise. Qrow stopped her by snatching her wrist. He looked up at her with exhausted red eyes and shook his head. "You're in bad shape still, Slayer. They can handle themselves." He took a deep, slow breath and tried to pull her back down. "There's somethin' we need to discuss."

Buffy was torn. She'd promised to look out for Ruby, but the man had a point. "You're not gonna croak on me now, are you old bird?" She gave in and eased down onto the pavement beside him.

"Old!?" Qrow growled, and then he broke out into a fit of ugly wet coughs that left his chest heaving. He fumbled for the flask tucked in his shirt and tried to unscrew the cap with shaking fingers. He finally managed it, and took a swig.

Buffy shook her head in disapproval. "You should let me use that to try and clean your wound. At this rate, you've got more alcohol than blood in your veins."

He gave her an annoyed glare. "Waste of perfectly good booze, Buff." He held it up to her and she waved it off. He let it drop down into his lap and put the cap back on. "Look, I need you to do somethin' for me." He reached behind his back and came out with a handle. It had a bulb on one end and a slender finger-guard that ran parallel to the main shaft. The other end was capped with a flat disc that contained tiny gears. He held it out to her. "This is Oz's – he's gonna want it back whenever he shows up." He waggled it when she didn't reach for it. "You're better off than I am right now."

"And you think I'm going to be able to find him? Fat chance. I wouldn't even know where to start." She leaned her head back against the wall and sighed. "Besides, you're doing better than you were earlier today. You should keep it."

"Slayer… Buffy. It's still a long way to go to Mistral. Just take the damned thing, will y-" he cut off with another round of hacking. He started to fall over, and Buffy put out a hand to steady him. When it passed, he wheezed a few breaths and then took her hand from his chest to deposit the handle into it.

"Fine, I'll hang on to Ozzie's stylish accessory, but only if you promise to stop acting like a big baby." He hung his head and chortled.

Whatever had been going on back in the fight, it had died down. Buffy shrugged off the sense of foreboding. Qrow was right: Ruby and her friends were no slouches. She started to say something to Qrow, but when she turned her head, it looked like he had passed out. He was still breathing, though it was barely noticeable. She tucked the silver handle into the inside pocket of her jacket and stared up at the sky.

Ruby came rushing around the corner and skidded to a halt a couple of steps away. She looked at them both with deep concern. "Is he..? Is Qrow okay?"

Buffy nodded tiredly, but Qrow mumbled before she could say anything. "Good job, kiddo."

Ruby exhaled in slow relief and knelt down beside them. She laid the back of a hand on each of their foreheads, making sure to avoid Buffy's wound. "Oh man, you're both burning up!" She unshouldered her backpack and took out a canteen, and scolded Qrow when he tried to push it away. Whether he finally let her because he was too weak or because he just didn't want to hear it anymore, she got him to take a few swallows. She was giving Buffy a turn when a loud beeping began to echo nearby.

"Guys! Finally some good luck!" Jaune shouted. The sound was joined by the high-pitched whine of some kind of engine, and Buffy blew out a breath of pure relief.

"That be the cavalry?" she asked. She leaned forward and began to gather her legs, but Ruby gently pushed her back. Buffy let her, being completely disinclined to argue with the younger girl. She mumbled her thanks and slipped into a haze. At some point, men came with stretchers and carried them back to where they had come from.

Whatever they had arrived in, it could fly. The sensation was marred by the fact that the sides of the airship being totally open. Buffy was very glad that she couldn't see the ground, but after a few minutes of listening to Jaune retch, she pleaded with her body for sleep.

She dimly heard the conversation of the others, and caught a glimpse of a sprawling city that clung to the sides of a small mountain. Her eyes fluttered shut, and blessed darkness took her.

* * *

Buffy woke some indeterminate time later, and marveled at the first proper bed she'd found herself in since she didn't remember when. She could easily go back to sleep, but Ruby was humming quietly nearby. She sat up with a yawn and stretched before she realized that there was something on her head. "Hey there, Buffy, welcome back to the land of the living!" Ruby whisper-shouted.

Ruby had turned in the chair she was sitting at to give her a cheery smile. She squinted at the young woman but smiled back at her as she ran fingers gingerly over the bandage wrapped around her head. It didn't seem to hurt all that much now, and she was relieved. Ruby wrinkled her nose in embarrassment. "Yeah, the patrol got us to a hospital. They had some… questions about you, but Ren was able to do some fast talking. If anyone asks, you're his long lost Aunt Summer, from Vacuo."

Buffy looked around the room. It was made up of simple wood paneling, and sunlight streamed in through the window. Between it and her own bed, another sat with Qrow tucked underneath its covers. "How is he?" she asked. "Were they able to fix him up?"

Ruby stood and wandered over to where her uncle slept. She ran her fingers through his hair, but he didn't stir. "They were," she replied. "It was touch and go for a while, but he finally managed to pull through." She giggled and shook her head. "He was a total pain in the butt about it, too: Typical Uncle Qrow." She fidgeted with the coverlet for a moment, and then gave her another sunny grin. "Are you hungry at all? You've been asleep for two days."

Buffy realized that she was positively famished, and her stomach growled in response. "Oh my god, starving!" She tossed back the cozy blankets, fully prepared to forego their fuzzy warmth in favor of food. "What is there?" She swung her legs over the edge and stood up, and she was pleased to find that her balance was back to normal.

Ruby zipped around to stand beside her, trying to push her back down. "You don't have to get up, you know!" Buffy snickered, but brushed Ruby's hands away. "Seriously, Ren and I can make you breakfast in bed and-"

Buffy was flattered, but she needed to be up and moving. She stopped Ruby's fussing the only way she knew how, by wrapping her arms around the girl. "That's okay, Ruby, really. Thanks for looking out for me and your uncle."

Ruby returned the embrace and said, "What are friends for?"

 **End**

 **A/N - Well, here we are, the end! I know some of you probably want me to carry this on, but this story was meant to be exclusive to v4. I might come back to it some day, but there are other unfinished tales that have languished for far too long. I will say that I have one or two ideas, and maybe we'll see Buffy pop up elsewhere in my works (hint hint!). For now, though, we'll say a fond farewell to Team Ranger and Team StaBby. (I'm kidding, don't call it that!) Thanks for all your reviews and encouragement - see you next time! =]**


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